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Rules and Houserules
The following are modified or additional rules used in this campaign. Where these rules conflict with the rules as written, the rules here supercede other information. Mechanics Embracing new Kindred No more permanent willpower dot to make a baby vampire. The curse of Cain is easily spread, just a drop of vitae in a freshly dead (Still somewhat warm) mortals mouth is all it takes. This really doesn't change much for players since the threat is still there for meeting the finial death but it makes mass turnings an actual scary prospect and a legitimate fear. Language "One dot. Your character knows an additional language besides his own, one that he can read, write and speak with fluency. If he wishes to convince others that he is a native speaker, however, the Storyteller might call for an Intelligence + Expression roll, contested with a reflexive Intelligence + Academics roll by anyone who is suspicious. You must specify which language your character is familiar with when purchasing this Merit. You may take this Merit multiple times, with a different language for each." From the errata. Fighting Styles The fighting styles in the rulebooks are not allowed. When the rules for styles come out in God Machine we'll play them, see how they work. Defense Characters no lounger subtract from their defense trait with each attack attempted upon them per round. Your defense remains static. Physical Attractiveness Your physical attractiveness in requiem can be a very nebulous thing. Essentially, unless you are a Nosferatu, your character can be anything from terribly ugly to handsome, its basically up to you and is simply a roleplay decision. The exception is if you have Striking Looks. Two dots of striking looks denotes someone of stunning beauty. Someone with striking looks two walks into the room and everyone's turns to look. Not having striking looks does not mean you're ugly, it doesn't even mean you are plain looking (unless you want to be, obviously). Someone with striking looks is so pretty that they actually gain a statistical advantage from it. Four dots of striking looks is one of the most beautiful people in the world. People seeing someone who looks like this could be awe struck, Kindred could fawn over them or immediately be overwhelmed with hatred and jealousy. Strength Reflections, Photographs, and Video You have a reflection! You do not show up as blurry on video cameras! Best be careful. The world just got a whole lot more dangerous. Social Merits Most social merits are to be bought and paid for at character creation only. After character creation, many social merits are not gained through gaining XP, but earned via working toward a goal in role-play. Some are still bought and paid for however. Generation The standard blood potency from Requiem is now Generation. You cannot spend EXP to lower your Generation. Blood Potency 1 equals Generation 13th, Blood Potency 2 equals 12th, and so on. A merit that can only be taken at character creation has been added which mimics that of the oWoD "Generation" Background. Follow this chart: *Can only use 8 of his or her blood pool for disciplines, raising physical attributes, healing, ect. The remaining can only be spent on raising each night. **Can only use 6 of his or her blood pool for disciplines, raising physicals, healing, ect. The remaining can only be spent on raising each night. ***Expend two blood points for what a normal vampire where only need one. This does not apply to rising at night. Vitae Shelf Life of Vitae Once blood enters the undead body of a vampire it becomes Vitae. The magical substance that sustains a kindreds unlife and fuels his power. Vitae is potent stuff, but the book states that just a few seconds after leaving the body it reverts back to blood. Vitae retains is mystical properties for a few minuets once outside of the kindreds body. Longer for lower generation, shorter for higher. A 13th generations vitae would revert back to a mixture of human blood in under a minuet, but a Methuselah thick blood could remain as is for shockingly long durations. And of course, stories fly of various practices and rituals that extend the life of vitae removed from a kindred. Of coteries who have found entire vials of old, thick, kindred vitae. Vitae and Mortals Because of its unnatural properties, vitae can have a potent effect on living mortals. The most widely observed effect is how vitae can heal a mortals body, knitting together bones, sealing up wounds, even fighting off disease and infection. A mortal body 'burns' vampires vitae as soon as it enters their system. If the mortal is wounded or sick in some way, the blood heals whatever damage it can and then fades, leaving only a slight euphoria.. and leaving the mortal one point blood bound. If a mortal is not wounded, the vitae is still burned, but it induces an effect much like a drug. Its been described as euphoric and relaxing in some but as also been observed to act as an supernaturally potent stimulant in others. Vitiaes effects in this manner are varied and can be unpredictable, but seem to at least some what depend upon the personality of the vampire the blood came from, especially if the vampire was Brujah or Malkavian. Drinking enough vampire blood can also have other effects on a mortal, if the blood is potent enough or if a significant amount is ingested its has been noted to temporarily increase physical abilities and aggression. The most noted result of a mortal ingesting vitae is its lasting side effects. Mortals who ingest vampire blood tend to obsess over the vampire in question. They seem to like the vampire more, they are more willing to do things that they think would please the vampire. Mortals can find themselves thinking of the vampire during the day, dreaming of the vampire at night. Theres cases of the blood leaving mortals with sexual desires for the vampire in question and while its not a hard and fast rule it is fairly common, especially among the Toreador. Of course the danger is that this effect can be cumulative and lead to a blood bond (see the book). If a mortal doesn't know where the blood came from and drank vitae without knowing what it is then he or she is filled with a strange wanting that they can't describe. If they run into the vampire who gave them the blood they will recognize said vampire and feel as if they had met before. Blood effects a ghoul differently. A Ghoul is still alive but he or she has been changed by their regent and is no longer quite human. Ghouls can store vitae within their system, up to a maximum of their stamina and use the blood to heal, buff or activate disciplines. A ghoul must have at least one vitae in their system to use any disciplines, even passive benefits. Monthly ingestion blood also causes a ghoul to cease aging and tends to return feeble, sick, or older ghouls to youthful vitality (not necessarily appearance). Characters inner workings I got this idea from the VtM to VtR translation guide and I really like what I can do with it, So I wanna give it a try and see how it works. Characters will have a Virtue and Vice as well as a Nature and Demeanor. Natures and Demeanors can be found in the V20 book. This leads me into... Willpower Characters can regain one temporary willpower point by doing one of the following things: *Satisfy your vice: If you indulge in your vice you will recover a point of temporary willpower. Admittedly this is easier with some vices then others, but I find that the easier the vice is to fulfill the more likely it is to get a player into sticky situations. **Example: Wrath is arguably the easiest to indulge but Kindred with wrath have all sorts of consequences in stressful situations. *Act in Accordance with your Nature: It can be dangerous to showcase your true face to the undead, or mortal, world. If you fulfill the criteria stated on the v20 "Personality Archetypes" page you'll regain a temporary willpower point. *One full night of doing something your character would find relaxing and not strenuous recovers one temporary willpower point. Characters can regain all of their temporary willpower points by doing one of the following things: *Satisfy your virtue: Preform a meaningful act that that fulfills your virtue. Generally these must showcase your virtue in substantial way, for example, fulfilling charity isn't as simple as giving money to a bum. You must truly sacrifice and put yourself at risk/harm to do true charity and regain your temporary willpower. *End a story arc: At the end of a story arc all PCs regain their temporary willpower points. Disciplines We are playtesting the sexmurder discipline rules. Refer to individual disciplines pages for specific changes. If a discipline does not exists in nWoD refer to the rules from the Translation Guide. If They do not have one then let me know and we'll figure it out. Predators Taint Does not exist. Since were playing in the world of masquerade being able to feel the relative potency of the kindred around you would kind of spoil the fun. Learning Characters improve through gameplay by spending experience and putting in time to improve at one thing or another. But being undead some things come easier then others. Heres a simple hierarchy of things in the game that characters can obtain, and how difficult they are to obtain. (From easiest to hardest) #In Clan Physical Disciplines, and Physical Attributes: These things come easily to a kindred as blood-buffing. The kindred simply orders that mystical red ooze in his body to make him stronger, tougher, or quicker. No teacher is required, nor in game time spent practicing, simply spend the experience and your character improves. #Out of clan Physical Disciplines: These are slightly trickier for a kindred to master, though they do not require a teacher, a small amount of time spend forcing his vitae to do what he wants is necessary. The kindred needs to take the night off when he or she increases these. #In Clan Mental Disciplines: If a kindred is embraced with innate knowledge of one of her clans mental disciplines then she need only figure out how to use it. Generally her sire teaches her this over a night or two, on her own figuring this could take weeks or months. But once mastered a kindred can increase an in clan mental discipline without the aid of teacher. However if a kindred is embraced without the innate ability and wishes to learn a mental discipline later then she would need a teacher (Implying the 1 point blood bonding) to show her just the first dot, after that it can increase on its own. Increasing an in clan mental discipline takes either time spend alone, working on it, or generous amounts of practice with the discipline. #Social and Mental Attributes: A kindred has a much easier time with physical attributes then a normal human, (or even other supernaturals) make the blood go a certain way and bam, stronger. This is not the case with Mental and Social attributes, no amount of vitae can make a kindred smarter or more likeable. So increasing one of these requires effort on the part of a kindred, taking a class, reading certain books, going to public events, or just dealing with the hellish world of kindred politics are all a few examples of how a vampire could work on, and increase her Wits, Intelligence, Presence, or Manipulation. Resolve and Composure are a little more tricky and can really only be hardened by enduring hardships, thankfully a kindred endures a great many. #Skills, Specialties and Merits: Increasing a skill requires patience, practice, and commitment. Far more so then an attribute a skill requires either a great deal of use in game to increase or a tremendous amount of time put into learning it in nights off. The first dot of a skill needs a great deal of time for someone to grasp the basics, the second dot takes much less time and practice, but from there it just gets more and more difficult. Specialties take more time, honing your skills in a certain area and mastering them. Merits are on a case by case basis, generally the more dots they are, the longer they take to learn. #In Clan Blood Magic: Blood magic is tricky, although certain clans have the ability to preform it coursing through their undead veins its still much more difficult then other in clan disciplines. Generally every dot of a path requires a teacher, a tome, or a combination of an instructor and lore. It requires a great deal of time spent doing nothing but practice to master dots in a path, and this time required on increases at higher levels. Blood Magic does not work like mental disciplines in that repeated used of lower levels in game will not justify ts increase. #Out of Clan Mental Disciplines: Learning another clans innate abilities can be tricky, first of all it requires lots of practice and nights spent doing nothing but trying to master this ability. And second it requires an instructor for each dot, unlike in clan which only requires a teacher for the first dot. This means that if you want to learn more then the first dot you had better find one person who you can at least somewhat trust whose willing to continue your tutelage. #Out of Clan Blood Magic: This usually includes things like Theban Sorcery, Kuldonic Sorcery, or Cruac, hardly ever does it mean some random kindred learning thaumaturgy. This can be difficult, and requires instruction, practice, and time, more so then those learning it in-clan. #Devotions (aka Combination Disciplines): Learning to fuse two or more disciplines to create a unique effect is very, very difficult. Some are easier to learn then others, it generally depends upon the Devotions effects and what levels of disciplines are required to learn it. Devotions require a teacher and one point of blood binding, just like disciplines. Many devotions are internal to a group or a clan and are very difficult for outsiders to learn. #Humanity: This is the most difficult statistic to gain and requires much more then just quiet calm practice. True effort needs to be made on the part of the kindred and he or she has to, well, choose to try to be a better vampire and bust their ass to do so. Feeding Feeding is now has its own system. A feeding roll is always one Attribute, plus one Skill, and either bonuses, or penalties to your die pool based upon the circumstance. When you roll for feeding your character hunts for one straight hour and every success gained counts as one being found to feed from. Bonuses and penalties can be anything from their being a great deal of people out, or an empty club, streets packed for a festival making it difficult to feed in the shadows, or chaos in the streets making it easy to grab a panicked kine. Disciplines that don't cost a vitae can aid in feeding if they can be justified to be useful. For every applicable discipline your character can use in the manner in which she is hunting she gains 1 bonus die. If you are hunting using your herd simply add the bonus die from your heard dots to your roll. Be warned though that unless you have a truly enormous herd that feeding just this way will quickly leave many of your mortals unable to be fed from for some nights, lest you kill them. So how about an example. Lets say Nick was going to go feed at a club. He's specifically going to swoop in and attempt to woo people off their feet. His base pool would be Presence plus Persuasion. Nicks player asks if his characters Persuasion specialty of Seduction would help him in this instance and the ST approves, allowing nick one more die. Nick also has two dots of the Striking Looks merit, giving him one more die. Now we look at Nicks disciplines, club feeding in this manner would only benefit from certain mental powers so we check to see which ones Nick has: Dominate, Dementation, and Majesty. The club is too loud raucous for Mesmerize to help, but Awe and strategically placed Passion would do nicely. So nick gains two bonus die from those. However it is Wednesday, the club is dead and its slim pickings, a -3 to his hunting pool. Nick also has things he has to do tonight so he tries to rule out patrons who are drunk or high, another -2. With that nicks player does the math and makes the roll. This is just one example of a myriad of ways to hunt. Blood pool of mortals however is now divorced from their health. When you bite someone to feed you inflict one point of lethal damage (Or bashing if its a vampire) and drain from their blood. A vampire can generally take 20% of a creatures blood "safely", up to 40% will hospitalize a mortal or slowly kill someone who has no access to health care(something which the vampire would not know). Anymore then 40 will generally lead to their death without immediate hospitalization. Generally (but not always) when a mortal takes lethal damage they loose a blood point, enough lethal damage can also cause a mortal to bleed out. Here's some average blood amounts, this always vary's from creature to creature with these just being averages. Humans -Adult, 10 Blood Points -Elderly/Teen. 8 Blood Points -Child, 5 Blood points -Plasma Bag, 1 Blood Point Animals Animal blood is not as nourishing to kindred as human blood so although some animals may have more physical blood in their bodies it requires that much more for a vampire to gain sustenance from it. Generally vampires must take so many blood points from animals that any amount will kill them. -Tiny animals (Rats, Birds, Squirrels, etc.) 1/2 of a Blood point -Small animals (Cats, Ferrets, Yappy Dogs) 1 Blood point -Medium animals (Pet dogs of varying sizes) 2 Blood points -Large animals (Horses, Wolves, Lions, Elks) 6 Blood points -Huge animals (Bears) 8 Blood points -Gargantuan animal (Elephants, Whales - Where the fuck are you hunting?!) 12 Blood points Supernatural Creatures Supernatural creatures are hit or miss. Some don't have blood at all, some are essentially just human when it comes to their blood pool, but others can have shockingly potent stuff, allowing a vampire to sustain himself off of just a taste. Feeding from werewolves or changelings however can have dire consequences. Many a vampire would love a werewolf to feed upon, their blood is potent seeming to make one stronger, and because of their bodies ability to knit itself together after injury you can almost drain one dry without killing it. However werewolf erodes a vampires ability to fight off the beast, making it impossible to ride the wave and allowing the slightest of provocations or frustrations to send a vampire into an all night long frenzy. Changeling blood is similarly potent. Some say it tastes better then anything, others find it plain, and some think it foul. But vampires that feed on The Lost often find themselves experiencing terrible, or wondrous fever dreams. But even though they some may be wondrous, more then one vampire whose fed on a changeling has wound up passing out in a park somewhere mid hallucination and wound up a pile of ash. And feeding on other vampires? Well I think we all know the risks that carries. -Other Vampires, 10+ blood points -Werewolves, 30 blood points -Changelings, 20 Blood points Skills Skills no longer have a "max" rank, BUT... the books explanation for your skill rank determining how talented you are at something still applies. Remember that five dots in a skill and you are considered world renown in that ability, one of the greatest on earth at this time. Generally humans have dots in skills rangeing from one to six. Theoretically, with enough lifetimes of practise under his belt an exceptionally old kindred could gain dots above six, but as no one is playing a character near that age I don't feel a need to place rules on such things. Second is that there is a second level of specialization available if you have four dots in a skill. This costs 9 exp and increases your existing specialization from one bonus die to two. Remember though that four dots in a skill denotes one of the best in a large region. Always ask yourself "Would my character really be -this- good at this ability? does he even have the practice and experience necessary to warrant it?" Beyond that I'm going to be kind of a hard ass in this game with learning skills. Any skill you increase needs to be cleared with me and you need to show me your character has been putting in the work to improve himself. Attributes however I don't care as much about, a vampires body being a magical thing fuelled by human blood it doesn't need training to get stronger or faster, vitae just does its thing (See "learning" above). And to anyone making a new character I don't want to see any skills above 3 unless you want that skill to be your characters "thing." Blood Sympathy Vitae can have a strange binding effect for those closely related by it. A kindred is more closely connected to his "family", hence the rule that for two generations removed (childer and grand-childer, or sire and grand-sire) a kindred gains +2 die to affect a family member with a discipline. I'm expanding that to also direct vampire "siblings" (that is kindred with the same sire.) Also as it says in the book when a vampire is in an intense emotional state those of his blood family (Siblings, Sire, grand-sire, childer, grand-childer) can sometimes feel this. This could happen if the vampire is suddenly attacked, or frenzies, or dies, or really any incredibly emotional experience. This occurs as stated in the book (a Wits+Occult roll with the number of successes telling how much information is gleaned, activated heightened senses adding to the roll) Also unchanged is is a vampire can spend a willpower point to try and force this ability to activate. I'm ruling that this costs a Vitae as well as a willpower and that the kindred must have at least one dot in occult to have the knowledge necessary to attempt this. Also the closer the bond the greater the bonus, those with a direct sire or childer relation gain a +2 on the roll. Additional Grapple Maneuvers There are maneuvers which are added to those presented in the world of darkness book. These maneuvers require the grapple to already be in progress, and you to be in control of it. Throwing: If your strength exceeds the size of what you are grappling (5 for an average human) then you may attempt to throw them. Roll Strength+Brawl - the targets strength, if you succeed then simply use the rules presented for throwing objects on pg. 67 of the world of darkness book. If you are throwing your target at another target then use the normal throwing rules and know that soft fleshy bodies deal bashing damage. The person thrown does not take damage but he is knocked prone. Move: Roll Strength+Brawl - the targets strength. If you succeed then you may move up to your movement speed with the person you are grappling. Ghouls A mortal becomes a Ghoul if a vampire feeds him a vitae and wills his body to use it to take on a dark metamorphosis by spending a point of willpower. Ghouls gain several benefits over normal mortals. : Ghouls immediately become tougher, gaining 1 free dot of Resilience and are no longer subject to the rules for rolling their stamina every turn to avoid being knocked out from bashing damage. : Ghouls gain one additional dot of either a physical in-clan discipline of their regent, or any of three physical disciplines if their regent has no physical in clan disciplines. : Ghouls can store vitae in their bodies and spend it to augment their physical stats, heal wounds or activate disciplines. This works exactly as it does for a vampire. A ghoul can store a maximum number of vitae in his body equal to his Stamina+Resilience. This vitae will not fade so long as the ghoul remains a ghoul and it cannot be sucked out by another kindred. : Ghouls can learn disciplines from vampires. Each dot must be taught to him from a kindred with whom the ghoul has a blood tie. It costs as much as an out of clan discipline. A ghoul must have at least 1 vitae in his system to use disciplines, even if it is not required for activation. : Ghouls recover from diseases they may be suffering from and find themselves filled with an unnatural energy. They tend to look healthy and active and older ghouls regain a youthful spryness. : Ghouls cease aging, though they still go through all the normal bodily functions of a human. They need to eat, sleep, and breath. Their hair and nails grow. They can get tattoos, lose an an arm, all that stuff, they just stop aging. Ghouls must gain 1 vitae a month and an expenditure of a willpower point from either the ghoul or the vampire feeding him the vitae or else the ghoul loses all of these benefits and begins to age. As long as she is still within her natural life span, she resumes normal aging. But if sheʼs lived from 100 to 250 years, then she begins aging at 10 times the normal rate — a year becomes a decade, and so on. Ghouls who have lived more than 250 years crumble instantly to dust if their supply of vitae falters. A ghoul who ceases to be a ghoul and then becomes one again ceases aging that that point and then regains of of her original ghoul benefits and disciplines. For some reason turning a a mortal into a ghoul makes it harder for them to be embraced. Embracing a ghoul requires four vitae and the expenditure of a permanent willpower point, as well as a temporary willpower. And even still, if someone attempts to embrace a newly ghouled mortal it tends to lead to their death. Vampires and Bodily Functions To get this out of the way now, here is some clarification: *Vampires can spend a blood to activate their stomach to store food, unless done the vampire will immediately be sick. As soon as the scene ends the vampire must expel the contents of his stomach in a spectacularly bloody display. Vampires find food tastes very bland. The exception is if a vampire has the "Eat Food" merit, see the merits section in this document *Vampires don't breath so they don't smell things unless actively choosing to. *Low-light vision: Sorry to use a D&D term but Vampires basically have this. Think about it, if holding a torch makes you freak out how did vampires navigate before lightbulbs? They can see better then humans can with minimal light but not in complete darkness. *Vampires skin is cool to the touch and can be anything from clammy to dry to soft to rough. *Illusion of Life: Vampires can spend a blood to appear more human. The spent vitae rushes to their skin, warming them slightly and gives the illusion of a pulse and heartbeat. Some of the blood is also used to force the vampires body to breath reflexively like a human. Once activated this lasts for the duration of a scene. Any vampire below humanity 5 must expend two vitae rather than one. *Vampires can move the blood around in their bodies to become sexually aroused. Doing so does not cost a blood. *When a vampire excretes a bodily fluid naturally (tears, ect) Its always some blood like substance of various consistency. However, a vampire may spend a vitae which then becomes a more human like excretion. So a vampire could pretend to urinate, or cry non-blood tears, you get the idea. The idea that every single liquid a kindred has is always blood would get a little silly once you realize that everyone in court would be walking around with red stained teeth, muddy red-brown eyeballs.. *Vampires have somatic senses. Whatever profane power keeps vampires living keeps the senses working, this includes touch. This means that vampires can feel both pain and pleasure as much as a human can. Many vampires don't enjoy physical pleasure for whatever reason, some think its debase, some feel its too human and those that partake in it are just pretending, and even more just find it unfulfilling when compared to the sensation of feeding. There are also stories of older vampires becoming deadened to these senses entirely, even pain, leaving them to only have feeling from terrible wounds (fire, sunlight). Merits Physical Acute Sense (1 dot) One of your senses is exceptionally sharp, be it sight, hearing, smell, touch, or taste. You gain +1 die for all tasks involving the use of this particular sense. Blush of Health (3 dots) You look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human society much more easily. You still retain the color of a living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool to the touch. When used in tandem with "illusion of life" the vampire is basically mortal to those who do not know better. This merit can only be taken at character creation. Bruiser (2 dots) Your appearance is sufficiently thug-like to inspire fear (or at least disquiet) in those who see you. While youʼre not necessarily ugly, you do radiate a quiet menace, to the point where people cross the street to avoid passing near you. All Intimidation rolls against those who have not demonstrated their physical superiority to you gain +2 die. Can only be taken at character creation. Early Riser (3 dots) No one can explain it, but you seem to have the ability to work on less rest than your fellow vampires. You always seem to be the first to rise and the last to go to bed even if you’re been out until dawn. Your Humanity or Path score is considered to be 10 for purposes of deciding when you rise each evening. Vampires with this Merit cannot take the Deep Sleeper Flaw. This merit can only be taken at character creation. Eat Food (2 dots) You have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability will serve you well in pretending to be human. Of course, you canʼt digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you have to heave it back up. This merit requires a teacher. But really, eating? Gross. Enchanting Voice (2 dots) There is something about your voice that others cannot ignore. When you command, they are cowed. When you seduce, they swoon. Whether thundering, soothing, persuading, or simply talking, your voice commands attention. On any rolls involving the use of the voice to persuade, charm, or command you gain +1 die. Can only be taken at character creation. Friendly Face (1 dot) You have a face that reminds everyone of someone, to the point where strangers are inclined to be well- inclined toward you because of it. The effect doesn’t fade even if you explain the “mistake,” giving you +1 die on all appropriate Social-based rolls (yes for Seduction, no for Intimidation, for example) when a stranger is involved. This Merit only functions on a first meeting. Can only be taken at character creation. Generation (1 to 5 dot merit) Your generation is lowered from 13th one for every dot in this merit you have. Can only be taken at character creation. Mental Calm Heart (3 dots) You are naturally calm and do not easily fly off the handle. You receive an extra dice when attempting to resist a frenzy. Brujah may not take this Merit. You must role-play this attitude. Can only be taken at character creation. Concentration (2 dots) You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Characters with this Merit are unaffected by any penalties stemming from distracting circumstances (e.g., loud noises, strobe lights, or hanging upside down). Heightened Senses (4 dots) Building on her innate Kindred Senses, the vampire can see, smell, and hear at twice the distance and with twice the accuracy of a healthy mortal. The vampire’s senses of taste and touch are also twice as sensitive as those of the same hypothetical mortal. A vampires senses also becomes more distinct, a vampire could taste a hint of alcohol in a victims blood, or the sound of a hallow space under a floor board. The vampire can perfectly identify any sensory stimulus he or she has experienced before; for example, the smell of an exotic perfume, the texture of a rare fabric, or the sound of an individual’s scream. This applies only to identifying the stimulus when it is experienced again, not to recalling it at any time, which would require a Merit like Eidetic Memory. This also doesn’t mean she perfectly recalls all memories associated with the stimulus… a vampire smelling the cologne used by a former vessel would be able to identify where he remembered it from, but would only recall that person and their encounters as well as an average mortal would. Heightened Senses allows a kindred to see in all but literal pitch blackness. Heightened Senses can sometimes have its drawbacks, bright flashes, loud sudden sounds, or strong smells could shock and momentarily impair a vampire. The vampire may choose to temporarily reduce any or all of these senses to normal mortal ranges as a reflexive action. This power requires no roll to activate but could give bonus die to some mundane perception or investigation rolls. Heightened Senses can be taught of a vampire or a ghoul and requires a teacher, this includes the one point blood bonding like with disciplines. Iron Will (5 dots) When you are determined and your mind is set, nothing can thwart you from your goals. Characters using Dementation, Dominate, or any other mind-altering magic, spell, or Thaumaturgy path against your character has a -1 to their roll or you gain a +1 to your resistance roll. Elder levels of powers like Dementation and Dominate may overwhelm even this resistance. Powers above fifth level break past the defence of Iron Will. This Merit does not affect Majesty or other powers dealing with the emotions. Characters will Willpower scores below 8 cannot take this Merit. Light Sleeper (3 dots) You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Humanity or your morality Path restricts the number of dice available during the day. Can only be taken at character creation. Time Sense (1 dots) You have an innate sense of time and are able to estimate the passage of time accurately without using a watch or other mechanical device. Can only be taken at character creation. Social Broken Bond (2 dots) You were once blood-bound but have secretly slipped the leash, and you are free to act as you will once more. Your regnant has no idea that you are not in fact bound, and continues to treat you as if you were. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Bullyboy (2 dots) Youʼre part of the brute squad the local Sheriff calls on when he needs some muscle. As a result, you get in on action that others miss entirely, score points with those in power, and occasionally get a chance to act outside of the law. How far outside the law you can go depends on circumstance and how much the vampire you report to likes you. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Elysium Regular (1 dot) You spend an unusual amount of time in Elysium. You see and are seen to such an extent that all of the movers and shakers of Elysium at least know who you are. Extended time spent in Elysium also gives you extended opportunities to interact with the Harpies and other Kindred of that stature — and theyʼll know your name when you approach them. This Merit is generally taken by vampires that respect and attend Elysium on a regular basis. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Former Ghoul (2 dots) You were introduced to the Blood long before you were made Kindred. Your long experience as a ghoul gives you insight into and comfort with vampiric society. You are at +1 die on all Social rolls when in the presence of other neonates (particularly those who havenʼt been educated by their sires), and have a +1 die on all rolls relating to vampiric knowledge. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Friend of the Underground (3 dots) While youʼre not a Nosferatu, you know your way around the sewers, tunnels, ducts, subway tubes, and other subterranean passages of your hometown. The local Nosferatu (and any other creatures dwelling down in the muck) may not actually like you, but theyʼre not inclined to kill you on sight when they see you in their territory. You are at +1 die on any rolls involving the subterranean world (sneaking from place to place underground, finding routes into sub-basements, and so on). Nosferatu cannot purchase this Merit. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Group Friendship (4 dots) One particular Clan or Covenant (not your own) has a special liking for you. You might have done the Clan/Covenant as a whole a favor at some point, or perhaps youʼre just a loud voice in support of their aims. Whatever the case, youʼre at +2 die on all friendly Social rolls involving members of the Clan/Covenant in question. Of course, the reaction your cozy relationship with another Clan/Covenant is likely to draw from your own Clan/Covenant leaders is an entirely different can of worms. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Harmless (2 dots) Everyone in the city knows you, and knows that youʼre no threat to their plans. While that sort of estimation may seem insulting, itʼs also whatʼs kept you from being killed. No one considers you worth their time to deal with, and that low opinion keeps you safe. If you start acting in a way that demonstrates that you are no longer harmless, othersʼ reactions to you will likely change as a result. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Mole (3 dots) You have an informer buried in one of the covenants other then your own who funnels you all sorts of information as to what her peers are up to. What you do with the information is up to you, but abusing the knowledge might be a good way to get your informer killed. The other side has spies too... Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game. Prestigious Sire (2 dots) Your sire has or had great status in her Covenant or Clan, and this has accorded you a certain amount of prestige. Though your sire may no longer have any dealings with you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever. This prestige might aid you greatly in dealings with other vampires, or it might engender jealousy or contempt. Can only be taken at character creation. Rising Star (3 dots) Youʼre one of the up-and-comers in the city, a rising star in your Sect. Everyone wants to know you and be your friend, even as those in power groom you for positions of greater responsibility. You are at +1 die on all Social rolls against any vampires in your city who arenʼt actively opposing your ascent. Can only be bought at character creation, but may be gained during the game.